Sprint Cup Points Race Preview from C-Mel

Courtesy of C-Mel      

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 Nascar 2008 Preview

 Now that the hoopla of the 50th running of the Great American Race is over, let’s look at how the regular season will shape up.  Who will make the Chase?  Who will be holding the hardware in Miami?  Who will win rookie of the year?  Who will be the biggest surprise?  Who will be the biggest disappointment?

 
 Here is my Top 12:

 12: Sam Hornish Jr.- 3 time IRL series champion and Indy 500 winner makes the jump from open wheel racing to stock car is my surprise Chase qualifier and rookie of the year. I believe being American, he can make the jump better then foreign born drivers and he has raced on a lot of the circuit tracks, the move should be easy.

 
11: Kevin Harvick- After a great start last year, Harvick has struggled in crunch time and does not have a lot of tracks that he does well at. With RCR motors under his hood, he could and should do better, but probably won’t.

10: Kurt Busch- I believe he is one of the best drivers in the sport, his temper has already landed him on probation (again) before the 1st green flag lap was run. If he could show SOME restraint, I could see this guy winning another championship again. He is good at every track, from plate racing to short, mile, 1.5 mile; he wins and is my darkhorse. The biggest problem with Dodge is pick a car and stay with it. Charger to Avenger back to the Charger with a new nose, COME ON!

9: Kyle Busch- Attitude? See above, must run in the family. The man at Hendrick’s Racing who was left standing when the music stopped has moved to Joe Gibbs Racing. Some believe that he is the most talented driver in the garage, is only 22 years old and is going to win the whole thing one of these days but with a new team and manufacturer, this is not the year.

8: Denny Hamlin- Imagine if you’re Gibbs having these 2 young drivers in your stable? I can understand why the Redskins were unable to hold on to this guy. I think Toyota’s best chance will come with a more experienced driver, some Tony guy.

7: Martin Truex Jr.- He doesn’t win a lot of race (only 1 career win) but was the model of consistency at the end of the year for DEI and that shouldn’t change. The big question for this team and DEI, is what life will be like after Dale Jr’s departure. I think he was the distraction last year and this team can flourish now that they are the big dogs on the block.

6: Jeff Burton- I can’t seem to fathom why he has not won a championship yet. He always seems to be right there at the end in every race. He has the best chance of the RCR/DEI engine teams to win it all, but you have to pull into victory lane more then once a year to win the Chase now, until he accomplishes this feat, he will always be on the outside looking in.

5: Jimmie Johnson- For those of you saying “this guy is nuts”, let me tell you why. No one in the modern era has won thee titles in a row, NO ONE!! He shares a team with 2 other high profile drivers, the highest in the sport now. JJ has had a good share of luck and I believe any of these top 5 has a great chance being the last man standing in Miami, but look for his luck to run out this year, for now.

4: Tony Stewart- This guy like the Kurt Busch can lay it down anywhere. The most gifted driver in my opinion will only be held back by the fact of the switch to Toyota. They will win multiple races, lead a lot of laps but come up short in the end. He is the hands down the favorite for me next year.

3: Matt Kenseth- What happened to Ford? Are they not generating enough horsepower? Ford is my biggest disappointment of the year. They are the only manufacture not making strides with the “Car of Today”. Pure talent alone will get him into the Chase, but lack of wins will hurt his cause. How many times has this man qualified 28th and by lap 140 he is running in the top 10. He is by far the most consistent driver in Nascar and I see no reason why that should change.

2: Dale Earnhardt Jr.- Call it a homer pick but this is my reasoning, Talent. He has been around the sport all of his life, he is the highest profile driver in America, and he has the motors to win and win a lot. The key for me was his crew chief and cousin Tony Eury Jr. leaving DEI 10 weeks before the 07’ season was over to get accustomed to how things work at Hendricks. He gravitated to the #48 team because like JJ, Jr. likes his car loose. With the resources, money and talent, I see 5-6 win season and a shot to catch the best……….

1: Jeff Gordon- After one of his best seasons in recent memory, he had trouble down the stretch winning when it counted the most, in the Chase. You can fool him once but not twice, this is the reason he is my pick to win in Miami. The problem down the stretch with the #24 were his set-ups, to conservative, not taking the big chance like his teammate. That won’t happen again and with Dale Jr. on board, JJ being the 2 time defending champ, it’s time for Gordon to show who built this team.